Steve Kragthorpe
Encyclopedia
Steve Kragthorpe is an American football
coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach
for the Louisiana State University
Tigers football team
. He was head coach at Louisville
from 2007 to 2009, and for Tulsa
from 2003 through 2006.
but attended Highland High School
in Pocatello, Idaho
. Kragthorpe played high school football with ESPN commentator Merril Hoge
. Both graduated from Highland High School in 1983.
He was recruited by Bill Kelly to play at Eastern New Mexico University
, where he played quarterback in 1983 and '84. When Kelly left ENMU for West Texas State (now West Texas A&M University
), Kragthorpe followed him. After sitting out the 1985 season, he played in 1986 and '87. He started 11 games as a senior and completed 179-of-344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine TDs.
Kragthorpe earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1988 from West Texas State and received his MBA in 1989 from Oregon State University
. He then spent more than a decade as an assistant coach at several colleges. At age 26, he became offensive coordinator
under Steve Axman at Northern Arizona University
. He left in 1994 to join Matt Simon
's coaching staff at the University of North Texas
. After leaving the state of Texas
for one year, serving as quarterbacks coach under Dan Henning
at Boston College
in 1996, Kragthorpe came back to join R. C. Slocum
's staff at Texas A&M
. He served as quarterbacks coach in 1997 before replacing Steve Marshall
as offensive coordinator in 1998. Texas A&M won a Big 12
championship in 1998.
In 2001, Kragthorpe left the collegiate ranks to become quarterback coach under head coach Gregg Williams
for the Buffalo Bills
. He coached quarterback Drew Bledsoe
during one of Bledsoe's better seasons in the NFL. In 2003, Kragthorpe took over his first head coaching position, succeeding Keith Burns at the University of Tulsa
.
, Kragthorpe guided a program that had won just two games during the previous two seasons to a 8–5 record and its first bowl game
appearance since 1991. In 2005, Tulsa won the Conference USA
championship and then went on to beat Fresno State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
.
Kragthorpe took over the University of Louisville vacancy on January 9, 2007. He replaced former head coach, and fellow Montanan, Bobby Petrino
who agreed to serve as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
. Kragthorpe's contract was a 1.1 million dollar a year contract (with bonuses) for five years. Louisville hired Kragthorpe in what many consider to be a “whirlwind courtship,” becoming the head coach in less than 48 hours after Petrino submitted his resignation. Kragthorpe was the third straight Louisville coach with Rocky Mountain ties. John L. Smith
was an Idaho
native, and Bobby Petrino
was a fellow Montana
native.
In 2007, Kragthorpe carried around a baseball bat
in an attempt to motivate his players to become "Better After Today" and placed mousetrap
s around the locker room in another effort at motivation. Despite these motivational tactics, the team finished 6-6 and did not earn a bowl invite.
Although Louisville started the 2007 season
as #10 in the AP Poll
and returned the majority of the 2007 Orange Bowl
champion team, including Heisman Trophy
candidate Brian Brohm
at quarterback, the Cards finished the season a disappointing 6–6, including a loss to Syracuse
in which the Cardinals were 37 point favorites. Nine consecutive winnings seasons and bowl games came to an end under the direction of Kragthrope in year one of his coaching tenure at Louisville with a team that had enough talent to see five of its players taken in the NFL Draft. Rumors swirled on whether Kragthorpe would return for a second season. After days of speculation whether Kragthorpe could leave for the vacant head coaching job at Southern Methodist University
, Louisville sports information director Rocco Gasparro confirmed on November 21, that there is a "50-50 chance" Kragthorpe will be at SMU in 2008. In a press conference that same day Kragthorpe ruled out any speculations that he was entertaining an offer from SMU, saying he was “100 percent committed” to Louisville. Following Louisville's dismal 2007 season, Kragthorpe released both offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs and defensive coordinator Mike Cassity and then hired Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English
to guide the Cardinals defense and handed the offensive coordinator duties to Jeff Brohm
, who was expected to install an offense similar to that run by former Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino.
Kragthorpe opened his second season at Louisville with very low expectations. A year removed from being a preseason top 10 program, the Cardinals entered the 2008 season picked 7th in the 8 team Big East Conference by members of the media. Louisville hosted in-state rival Kentucky on Sunday, August 31, falling to the Wildcats 27-2 in Louisville's first opening day loss since 2002. On October 25, 2008, Louisville defeated a ranked South Florida team 24-20. Kragthorpe also lost to Syracuse
in back to back seasons, giving Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson
two of his three Big East wins as a head coach. Following the Syracuse loss, Kragthorpe's Cardinals lost the next four games capped off by a 63-14 loss to Rutgers (Louisville's worst defeat since 1987.) This marked the team's first losing season since 1997.
Louisville fired Kragthorpe on November 28, 2009. He accepted the wide receivers coaching position at Texas A&M
in February 2010, but later resigned due to a family member's illness. After spending the 2010 season out of football, on January 20, 2011 he was hired as the new offensive coordinator at LSU
.
On August 4, 2011, Kragthorpe stepped down from the offensive coordinator position at LSU, due to Parkinson's Disease
. He said he would remain as quarterbacks coach.
; their father, Dave Kragthorpe
, was also a college football coach, most notably at Oregon State. Steve's son, Brad, was the quarterback for Holland Hall, a private prep school
in Tulsa, where he was rated as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the state. Kragthorpe was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. (NOLA.com)
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach
Quarterbacks coach
A quarterbacks coach is a coach in charge of the quarterbacks in gridiron football. The quarterbacks coach typically operates under the offensive coordinator on a team's coaching staff....
for the Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Tigers football team
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
. He was head coach at Louisville
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship...
from 2007 to 2009, and for Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
from 2003 through 2006.
Early career
Kragthorpe was born in Missoula, MontanaMissoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
but attended Highland High School
Highland High School (Pocatello, Idaho)
Highland High School is a four-year public high school located in Pocatello, Idaho. Its school colors are black,white and red. Its mascot is the ram.The school band was invited to Florida to play in the 2009 BCS Championship game halftime show....
in Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
. Kragthorpe played high school football with ESPN commentator Merril Hoge
Merril Hoge
Merril DuAine Hoge is a former professional American football player. He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, retiring after the 1994 season. Since 1997 he has been a football analyst for ESPN television....
. Both graduated from Highland High School in 1983.
He was recruited by Bill Kelly to play at Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...
, where he played quarterback in 1983 and '84. When Kelly left ENMU for West Texas State (now West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
), Kragthorpe followed him. After sitting out the 1985 season, he played in 1986 and '87. He started 11 games as a senior and completed 179-of-344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine TDs.
Kragthorpe earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1988 from West Texas State and received his MBA in 1989 from Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
. He then spent more than a decade as an assistant coach at several colleges. At age 26, he became offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
under Steve Axman at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
. He left in 1994 to join Matt Simon
Matt Simon (American football)
Matt Simon is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He currently serves as the head varsity football coach at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio and as Gilmour Academy's seventh grade physical education teacher...
's coaching staff at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
. After leaving the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
for one year, serving as quarterbacks coach under Dan Henning
Dan Henning
-External links:...
at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1996, Kragthorpe came back to join R. C. Slocum
R. C. Slocum
Richard Copeland Slocum , better known as R. C. Slocum, was the head football coach at Texas A&M University from 1989 until 2002. He has won more games as coach than anyone else in Texas A&M football history.-Personal:...
's staff at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. He served as quarterbacks coach in 1997 before replacing Steve Marshall
Steve Marshall (American football)
Steve Marshall is the current American football offensive line coach for the Colorado Buffaloes, a position he previously held from 2000–2001. His most recent position was as the former offensive line coach at California. Marshall coached in the NFL for six years, two with the Cleveland Browns and...
as offensive coordinator in 1998. Texas A&M won a Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
championship in 1998.
In 2001, Kragthorpe left the collegiate ranks to become quarterback coach under head coach Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams is the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints and the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Considered one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, Williams is known for running aggressive, attacking 4-3 schemes that put heavy pressure on opposing...
for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He coached quarterback Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
during one of Bledsoe's better seasons in the NFL. In 2003, Kragthorpe took over his first head coaching position, succeeding Keith Burns at the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
.
Head coaching career
In his first season at TulsaTulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
, Kragthorpe guided a program that had won just two games during the previous two seasons to a 8–5 record and its first bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
appearance since 1991. In 2005, Tulsa won the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
championship and then went on to beat Fresno State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2005 Liberty Bowl
The 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the on December 31, 2005, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. In a closely contested game which went back and forth Tulsa defeated Fresno State 31-24...
.
Kragthorpe took over the University of Louisville vacancy on January 9, 2007. He replaced former head coach, and fellow Montanan, Bobby Petrino
Bobby Petrino
Bobby Petrino is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, a position he has held since the 2008 season...
who agreed to serve as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Kragthorpe's contract was a 1.1 million dollar a year contract (with bonuses) for five years. Louisville hired Kragthorpe in what many consider to be a “whirlwind courtship,” becoming the head coach in less than 48 hours after Petrino submitted his resignation. Kragthorpe was the third straight Louisville coach with Rocky Mountain ties. John L. Smith
John L. Smith
John L. Smith is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the special teams coach at the University of Arkansas, under head coach Bobby Petrino...
was an Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
native, and Bobby Petrino
Bobby Petrino
Bobby Petrino is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, a position he has held since the 2008 season...
was a fellow Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
native.
In 2007, Kragthorpe carried around a baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
in an attempt to motivate his players to become "Better After Today" and placed mousetrap
Mousetrap
A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch mice; however, it may also trap other small animals. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. There are various types of mousetrap, each with its own advantages...
s around the locker room in another effort at motivation. Despite these motivational tactics, the team finished 6-6 and did not earn a bowl invite.
Although Louisville started the 2007 season
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
as #10 in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and returned the majority of the 2007 Orange Bowl
2007 Orange Bowl
The 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl game is a college football bowl game. It is part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange Bowl was first played in 1935. The 2007 game was played on January 2, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens,...
champion team, including Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate Brian Brohm
Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
at quarterback, the Cards finished the season a disappointing 6–6, including a loss to Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
in which the Cardinals were 37 point favorites. Nine consecutive winnings seasons and bowl games came to an end under the direction of Kragthrope in year one of his coaching tenure at Louisville with a team that had enough talent to see five of its players taken in the NFL Draft. Rumors swirled on whether Kragthorpe would return for a second season. After days of speculation whether Kragthorpe could leave for the vacant head coaching job at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, Louisville sports information director Rocco Gasparro confirmed on November 21, that there is a "50-50 chance" Kragthorpe will be at SMU in 2008. In a press conference that same day Kragthorpe ruled out any speculations that he was entertaining an offer from SMU, saying he was “100 percent committed” to Louisville. Following Louisville's dismal 2007 season, Kragthorpe released both offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs and defensive coordinator Mike Cassity and then hired Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English
Ron English (American football)
-External links:**...
to guide the Cardinals defense and handed the offensive coordinator duties to Jeff Brohm
Jeff Brohm
Jeffrey Scott Brohm is an Assistant Coach and the Quarterbacks Coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team...
, who was expected to install an offense similar to that run by former Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino.
Kragthorpe opened his second season at Louisville with very low expectations. A year removed from being a preseason top 10 program, the Cardinals entered the 2008 season picked 7th in the 8 team Big East Conference by members of the media. Louisville hosted in-state rival Kentucky on Sunday, August 31, falling to the Wildcats 27-2 in Louisville's first opening day loss since 2002. On October 25, 2008, Louisville defeated a ranked South Florida team 24-20. Kragthorpe also lost to Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in back to back seasons, giving Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson
Greg Robinson
-External links:**-References:...
two of his three Big East wins as a head coach. Following the Syracuse loss, Kragthorpe's Cardinals lost the next four games capped off by a 63-14 loss to Rutgers (Louisville's worst defeat since 1987.) This marked the team's first losing season since 1997.
Louisville fired Kragthorpe on November 28, 2009. He accepted the wide receivers coaching position at Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
in February 2010, but later resigned due to a family member's illness. After spending the 2010 season out of football, on January 20, 2011 he was hired as the new offensive coordinator at LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
.
On August 4, 2011, Kragthorpe stepped down from the offensive coordinator position at LSU, due to Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. He said he would remain as quarterbacks coach.
Personal life
Kragthorpe and his wife have three sons. His brother, Kurt, is a sports columnist for The Salt Lake TribuneThe Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
; their father, Dave Kragthorpe
Dave Kragthorpe
Dave Kragthorpe is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at South Dakota State University in 1969, at Idaho State University from 1980 to 1982, and at Oregon State University from 1985 to 1990, compiling a career college football record of...
, was also a college football coach, most notably at Oregon State. Steve's son, Brad, was the quarterback for Holland Hall, a private prep school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in Tulsa, where he was rated as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the state. Kragthorpe was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. (NOLA.com)